Charn Effect
by Mr.Deacon
Summary: After narrowly escaping from the Collectors, the Normandy comes across an uncharted star system, with only one sustainable planet. However, they find that this planet has no life whatsoever, prompting investigation. And what they find is nothing like they had expected. Mass Effect/Narnia crossover.


"We're out of time, Commander. We have to go!" Jeff "Joker" Moreau said over the com. In the Collector ship, Commander Jane Shepard gunned down a horde of ravenous Husks, with Miranda Lawson and Garrus Vakarian flanking her sides.

Nodding, Shepard turned to her two companions, who aimed their guns at the approaching Husks. "You heard the man. Everybody onto the Normandy!"

As the trio made their way off on the shuttle, the Collector ship's lights illuminated, lighting up the dark, lowly nebula that the Normandy had found it in. Joker's eyes widened with alarm as it slowly began moving on intercept course. As the shuttle carrying Shepard and the squad docked with the Normandy, Joker immediately started to maneuver away from the enemy vessel.

"Strap in people!" Joker yelled. "I'm gonna make it work this time."

Joker carefully piloted the ship as Shepard, still clad in the battle-worn armor, rushed onto the bridge to meet with him. The darkness of space was illuminated by the yellow glow emanating from the Collector ship's particle ray, and the crew lurched as they felt the shockwave from the beam sail past them.

The Normandy swiftly evaded the beam, but could not keep it up much longer.

"I can't dodge these guys forever, EDI! Get us the hell out of here!" Joker yelled.

"Specify a destination, Mr. Moreau." EDI, the Normandy's artificial intelligence, asked politely, despite the danger of the situation at hand.

Joker growled. "Anywhere that's not here!"

"Very well." EDI responded. "Engaging mass effect core."

Deep in the ship, the mass effect core started to hum to life as it prepared to warp the Normandy to safety. However, as the Normandy was preparing to take off, there was a brilliant explosion as the Collector ship's ray struck the ship's right wing. While the improved shielding protected the wing from being blown off, the explosion jostled the Normandy, and as it warped away from the battle field, it veered crazily out of control.

The crew held on for dear life or were thrown about wildly as the Normandy tossed and turned in the uneven mass transit. After a few moments, the Normandy came to an abrupt halt, and Shepard yelped as she was thrown forward, bashing her helmeted head against the wall. Joker lurched forward, hissing as he felt his ribs smash against the control panel, breaking a few of them.

Behind him, Shepard pulled herself up, removing her helmet and shaking her head dazily. Blinking, she walked up to her pilot, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Joker? You okay?"

Joker hissed. "Tell ya... when I see the x-rays."

Shepard sighed. He was fine. She looked out the window, seeing that they were in a totally different star system. The brilliant red glow of a red giant lit up the cockpit. Miranda stormed into the cockpit, about to yell at Joker for the crazed escape, when she noticed the red giant in the distance.

Miranda frowned. "What happened? Where are we?"

Joker shook off the pain, still wincing when he moved. "Erg... Hell if I know. EDI?"

The blue spherical image of EDI materialized nearby. "Mr. Moreau instructed me to choose a random destination in order to flee from the Collector vessel. I had chosen a location in the Phoenix Massing, but before the Normandy could make a full jump, the Collector ship fried upon us, veering us off course."

Shepard frowned at the AI. "So then where did we end up?"

"This is a four world star system on the edge of the Nubian Expanse, but this system itself is unmarked. I have no record of it in by databanks." EDI explained. This earned some looks of surprise from the three occupants in the cockpit.

"So this is an undiscovered system." Miranda said, crossing her arms. "This is good. We should investigate this. See if it has anything that could be of value to Cerberus."

Shepard sighed. "Now's really not the time for that, Miranda. EDI, damage report?"

"The Normandy engine was badly damaged in the attack. It may take some time to finish repairs. Maybe within the next several hours perhaps."

Shepard glared. "Great. Guess we're gonna have to follow through with your plan, Miranda."

"Shepard, one more thing. I have scanned the four planets in this system, and have found that only one of them is capable of sustaining life. However, I am detecting no organic signatures at all." EDI explained.

"How can that be?" Shepard asked, confused. "If it's able to sustain life, shouldn't there be life?"

"More of a reason to check it out." Miranda said. "It's up to you, Commander. What's the plan?"

Shepard thought it over, and finally decided. "We'll send a detachment to the planet. You, me, Garrus, Tali, and Mordin will go down in the shuttle, see what's down there. But first, I need to have a little chat with the Illusive Man. I have a few things to say to him."

Joker chuckled. "I imagine you do, Commander."

* * *

Shepard entered the Communications Room, paging the Illusive Man. As the comm link was set up, the Illusive Man appeared before Shepard as a hologram.

The Cerberus leader gave Shepard a smile of praise. "Shepard. Looks like EDI extracted some interesting data before the Collector ship came back online."

But Shepard was not in the mood. "Save it. We know that the Cerberus detection protocols were rigged. Mind explaining to me what all that was about?"

The Illusive Man sighed. "We needed information on the Omega 4 relay. That required access to the Collector data. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. And as an added bonus, we were able to retaliate for the attack on Horizon, so don't you dare tell me how to do my job."

"I'll tell you whatever I damn well feel." Shepard bit back harshly. "If we're going to work together to stop this threat, I need you to cooperate with me, and not lead me into a potential deathtrap. I've died once, and I don't plan on dying again."

The Illusive Man glared, but let it slide. "It put you at risk, yes. But without that information, we won't reach the Collector homeworld. And you and every other human in the galaxy will be as good as dead. It was a trap, yes, but I was confidant in your abilities."

Shepard was still angry, but could understand where the Illusive Man was getting it. She crossed her arms, still glaring at the man. "Maybe you have a point, but I don't risk people's lives. There are always alternatives."

"You may not like being on the recieving end, but the facts are with me." The Illusive Man concluded. "Besides, this is no time for petty grudges. Miranda just forwarded your current status to me, and I must say it has warranted my attention somewhat."

Shepard nodded. "We stumbled upon an unexplored system. Until we can make repairs, we're going to investigate one of the nearby planets."

"You're welcome to do so, but don't get to distracted Shepard. We still have a galaxy to save." The Illusive Man said. "Good luck."

Shepard was thankful that the conversation was finally over, and the hologram disappeared.

"_Commander, the squad is waiting for you at the shuttle._" Joker said over the comm.

Shepard nodded. "On my way."

* * *

The squad sat quietly in the shuttle as it descended towards the mysterious planet. Shepard, Garrus, and Tali sat on one side of the shuttle while Mordin and Miranda sat across from them. Outside the window, Shepard could see the planet, and saw that it looked similar to Earth, yet it lacked the green that the landscapes of Earth possessed. Instead, it was all barren and desert-like. While Shepard did not like the idea of wasting resources on a dead planet while the Collectors were out there, there weren't that many alternatives at the moment.

"Shepard," Miranda said, getting the commander's attention. "EDI's found a large settlement nearby. It looks like some kind of... city."

Shepard nodded. The shuttle made its slow descent, and the squad was shocked when they saw the city below. It looked ancient, abandoned, and incredibly desolate. The streets were incredibly empty, not a trace of life.

"Keelah. This place looks so... ancient." Tali murmured.

"Impressive architecture. Don't recognize it. Can't be Prothean. Protheans never predated architecture of this design." Mordin said. "Architecture is primitive. Wonder what became of inhabitants."

"Is there anyplace we can land?" Shepard asked.

Miranda nodded. "There's a courtyard of some kind nearby. We can land the shuttle down there."

Shepard nodded, and slowly, the shuttle lowered itself downwards, coming to soft landing. Once it landed, the squad exited it, and looked in awe at their surroundings. The courtyard was surrounded by very high walls, columns and archways. It looked as though the courtyard once held a garden, but there was no trace of plant-life. Everything just looked so dead. There was a reddish light about them, evidence of the system's aged sun.

"What do you think happened?" Garrus wondered.

"Who knows." Shepard said, looking up at the enormous building in front of them. "Come on. Let's see what's in there."

"Shepard, don't know how old this building is. Thousands, if not millions of years old." Mordin said, taking a deep breath. "Could be unstable."

"I'm willing to risk it. Come on."

The group entered the building, awed by the sheer size of it. They found themselves in a number of different hallways, each one like a maze. Eventually though, they ended up in a hall. To the squad's surprise, it was filled with wax-like statues of people. The figures are royally adorned as if they were of royalty.

"What the...?" Garrus said, confused.

"Looks like some kind of display." Miranda said. "Look at this. Their countenances change over time."

"She's right." Tali said, edging closer to one of the statues, an old man. "They look so gentle and kind at first, but the later ones look so... upset. Like they're troubled or something."

"You think these people were important?" Shepard asked.

"Their garb suspects possible royal status. Could be past rulers of settlement, or nobles." Mordin theorized. Shepard nodded in understanding, and then turned her gaze to the last of the statues. This one... irked her. It was a woman, she looked incredibly beautiful, but her eyes held malice in them. It gave Shepard a bad vibe.

"Hey, Shepard."

Shepard looked over to see Garrus was standing near the wall, motioning towards a strange pedestal. Walking closer to it, Shepard saw a large bell was on the pedestal, and a slab was on it, written in some alien language.

"What does it say?" Tali asked.

Activating her omni-tool, Shepard scanned the foreign words, and frowned when it seemed to have some trouble translating it.

"Never mind, Shepard. I've got it." Shepard blinked, looking over to see Miranda had her omni-tool, smirking arrogantly.

Rolling her eyes, Shepard turned her omni-tool off. "Well? What does it say?"

Miranda's eyebrows furrowed as she read. "It says... 'Make your choice, adventurous stranger. Strike the bell and bide the danger, or wonder, till it drives you mad, w hat would have followed if you had."

The squad all blinked in confusion, all bearing looks of bafflement.

"What the hell does that mean?" Garrus said. "Are we supposed to wring the bell?"

"Are you crazy?" Tali said, frowning at the Turian. "It could be a trap."

"Possible. Or possibly not. Consequences could be beneficial." Mordin said, but Miranda shook her head at the Salarian scientist.

"I have to agree with the Quarian on this one. This seems really fishy. I don't like it."

"You never like anything." Garrus said dryly. "But you have a point. It's to risky."

"But you heard what it said." Shepard said, stroking her chin in deep thought. "We could go mad wondering what would have happened."

"Are you actually considering it?" Tali asked.

"Maybe." Shepard shrugged. "Besides, what's the risk? For all we know, it does absolutely nothing."

The group all looked at each other in uncertainty, but sighed. Garrus looked at the commander. "It's your call Shepard. Do what you think is necessary."

Shepard nodded, and looked back at the bell. Taking a deep breath, she held her hand out, and flicked the bell with her finger.

The result had not been what she expected.

Rather than a harmless little ding, the resulting sound was a loud, booming gong that resonated throughout the room. The sound was so loud that everyone in the room covered their ears.

"Good god! What did you do, Commander!" Miranda yelled, but Shepard could barely hear over the loud noise.

The sound was growing in volume, becoming more and more unbearable, and pieces of the ceiling were actually starting to fall as the entire structure was shaken.

Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped, and everything was silent once more.

The squad blinked, and looked around, shocked. Miranda glared. "Okay, let's agree to nev..."

She stopped, when she and the others heard movement behind them. Turning around, the group jumped and pointed their weapons at the source of the disturbance.

One of the statues had come to life, and was now standing straight up. It was a woman, pale white skin, ruby red lips, and beautiful golden hair. She was wearing a long, beautiful red dress and had a golden crown atop her head. She was fiercely beautiful, yet her expression was cold. Her blue eyes blinked slightly, and she stretched, taking her first steps in years.

It was then she noticed the other occupants of the room. She frowned at them, finding their appearances strange.

Then, she spoke, but she was speaking a foreign language.

Shepard blinked, lowering her gun slightly. "I'm sorry, we..."

"I've got it, Commander." Miranda said, activating her omni-tool. The woman saw that the strangers all had similar devices on their tools, and looked awed by this strange spectacle.

Once Miranda had downloaded the new language into their translators, Shepard looked at the mysterious woman. "Can you understand us?"

The woman looked slightly insulted, but nodded. "Yes."

"Mind telling us who you are?" Miranda said, looking at the woman in suspicion.

But the woman just ignored Miranda, and stood tall and arrogantly. "Which one of you has awakened me? Who has broken the spell?"

The group looked confused at the world spell, but Shepard strode forward. "I rang the bell, if that's what you're referring to. Who are you?"

At this, the woman smiled in pride. "I am Empress Jadis, last of the royal lineage of great kings and queens. And you have trespassed in my dominion."


End file.
